He had frozen, at first. Pure disbelief at what had occurred, what he remembered occurring. The human, Frisk, had been so kind and gentle, nothing like humans were in old tales of battle and bloody glory. So yeah, after killing them more than he would like to admit- shit, once was too much- he let them slip. And okay, maybe he distracted Papyrus, but really, the kid didn't deserve what the boss was going to do to them. Papyrus had caught on, told him he was a traitor, and-
Killed him. Bam, pile of dust for a brother.
Sans had accepted it. What else did he deserve, really? The boss was right, after all; he was too scared to use his powers, and too weak to kill a human brat. Well, for good, anyway.
But then Frisk reset, for no other reason than to save his life.
"Helped me," they murmured softly, once Papyrus had stormed away. "Now I helped you."
And, well, he was officially a traitor anyway, and Frisk seemed like his best hope of survival. May as well go all out.
So he tagged along with Frisk and their pet weed, Flowey. He steered them in the right direction and chased off a fair few monsters. At their request, he didn't dust any of them, and they were the one with the resets, so who was he to argue?
They got out. They actually got out, all three of them. Turned out, Frisk had a proper family looking for them, a mother and a father and siblings. They were so relieved to have them back that they were wholly accepting of the flower and skeleton monsters that accompanied their kid.
Sans stayed on the mountain. Frisk and Flowey came to visit him regularly, but he knew he didn't belong with the humans, no matter what Frisk's family may say. So, he started tinkering. He finally told Frisk what he had been doing, and, after a pensive look, they told him to go for it.
They would miss him, they said, but he needed to be free as well.
Until then, he hadn't seriously considered it an option. He hadn't done any serious science shit since he was in his teens, and even then he never did it where anyone could see. However, being up in the open, able to see the world and the sky but still confined to the mountain, he felt peaceful in a way he hadn't since he was a child, but restless as well, itching to explore.
Finally, it was done. He had all the equations memorised, just like he would have to for it to work. He said his goodbyes to Frisk- something they had insisted on- opened up a shortcut, and stepped sideways.
He did it. He knew he had done it, from the fact that he wasn't a pile of dust in the void. Taking out his cell phone, he barked out
a startled laugh. He had fucking signal still! He quickly typed a text to Frisk to say it had worked, receiving a very relieved reply. Only then did he stop to consider his surroundings.
Purple vegetation covered the ground, large craggy rocks reaching towards an orange sky. It was nothing like he had ever seen, and was all the more enchanting for it.
He was startled from his reverie by a sharp cry. He turned, only to see a red haired figure racing across the ground, pursued by insect-like monsters. He felt himself itching for a fight. He may have loved the peace of the last few months, but at the end of the day he was a creature accustomed to violence.
The red-haired girl was putting up a good fight, but was hugely outnumbered. Grinning, he raised a hand.
Half the monsters were impaled in one fell swoop on glowing red bones. Ha! These fuckers were weaker than he had assumed!
The girl quickly took care of the rest with a big ass gun, mowing them down. He was a bit concerned when they didn't turn to dust, but it was another world. Maybe they were some weird experiment, like the ones Dr Alphys had so often churned out.
He strode towards the girl, who brought the gun up to point at him.
"none of that, sweetheart." He said, grinning. "c'mon, don't ya think i deserve to introduce myself after saving your neck?"
He held out a hand. "sans the skeleton. and you are, sweetheart?"
The human looked wary for a moment, before taking his hand. "Summer Smith, bounty hunter and mercenary."
She frowned. "And don't call me sweetheart."
"sure thing, sunshine," he said, smirking.
He couldn't help but chuckle at her expression. Maybe this world would be better than he expected.
The two had been working together for a couple of weeks. Sure, they were both fairly fucked up people, but they worked well together. Summer turned out to be remarkably good at strategies, and Sans was thriving in an environment where both violence and science were valued highly.
"Want to get lunch at the local bar after this?" Summer asked, dodging a hail of bullets.
"fuck it, why not." Sans growled, elated at the battle. "we'll sure as hell have the cash after this."
Summer fired, forcing the troops into one of Sans' bone traps. She scanned the area for life signs, then signalled the all-clear, wiping her brow. "We have to collect the cash first, Red. Can't spend what we don't have."
He waved his hand dismissively. "yeah, yeah. We'd best be off, then; that rebel guy didn't look like a patient customer."
She shrugged. "He's a good one to keep as a client; totally against the Federation, but still in the system as a respectable dude."
The Federation; a galactic organisation that had taken over Summer's planet, imprisoned and possibly killed her grandfather, and had something to do with her brother's disappearance. Needless to say, she had a personal grudge against them.
After hanging out on the same barren planet as her for a week, Sans had found her to be remarkably good company. So, when she suggested he join her in the bounty hunting and mercenary business, he agreed with a shrug.
So far, he reflected, strolling towards the ship, it was going very well indeed.
It had been really weird explaining how his world worked to Summer. It got even more confusing when he struggled to summon her soul, and when he did, it looked...different. Like a ball of light, still attached to her chest with glowing strings. Half formed.
"guess it's a bit more difficult in this world," he muttered, watching her inspect the pale yellow orb in fascination. It was shot through with vibrant amber sparks, bright and bold.
He scanned over her stats while she gaped. Then read through it again. And again.
He took a step back.
"how the fucking hell is your lv so fucking high?" he finally managed to croak out.
Pulling her attention away from her soul, she gave him an odd look. "What's LV?"
He gestured wildly to the stats displayed. "your level of fucking violence, that's what! how many people have you dusted?!"
There was another flicker of confusion at the word dusted, but she seemed to get the gist of it, going stiff. "I've...been around. My grandpa would get me and my brother into some crazy situations. A lot of the time, it was us or them. P-planets were, we-" She took a breath. "I don't think about it."
"Your grandpa?" he had asked, curious despite himself.
Summer took another breath, and began to speak, telling Sans about the infamous Rick Sanchez, wanted criminal and grandfather of one Summer Smith. He heard even more in bars later on.
Many solders and low life's later, he fully realised just how Summer got such high LV. There were just so many people. Planets full of them, and so many ready to pick a fight. His own LV soon rivalled anyone's in the underground back home.
Huh. Now that was a thought.
"Your dimension sounds reeeaaly fucked up." Summer said.
Sans gave a muffled snort.
"No, like, sooo fucked up, dude. You, I'm so glad you're fucking here, Red."
"yeah," he chuckled, eyeing her with amusement. "i'm good for a lot of shit; like making sure you don't off yourself getting high off rick's fucking drugs."
She attempted to scowl at him. "Just, just 'cause they don't work on you, smarty-pants, doesn't mean I can't enjoy my, myself." She declared. "So, so there!"
Sans broke down laughing. "god, sunshine, you're hilarious when you're wasted."
They'd found one of Rick's safe houses the day before, and with it a ton of inventions, drugs and booze. Sans had to admit, he rather enjoyed human alcohol; it definitely had more of a kick to it.
It was even more hilarious watching his human partner sample her famous grandfather's stash.
"Besides, grandpa isn't using them," she continued moodily. "Went and, and got himself impri- impris- captured by the bug things!"
"gromflomites?" Sans asked, still grinning.
"Them!" She half-yelled. "And- and the Rick Council being, being bloody useless!"
He frowned a little at that. The Rick Council had been giving them a lot of trouble, arrogantly believing they were safe from the Federation. As far as they knew, they hadn't started to torture their Rick for information yet, but once they did...
"we'll sort 'em out, sunshine." He said.
He watched her brighten. "Yeeaah! Because we, we're a team, right Red?"
Team. Huh, not a term he thought he'd ever use. He was so used to relying on unstable alliances where your allies would as soon stab you in the back as help you out. Having someone he could trust was unexpectedly comforting.
"yeah," he said, smiling. "a team."
He went back to cackling when Summer found the explosives.
Sans made himself scarce for Summer and Morty's reunion.
They had found the kid with a bunch of other versions of himself- and Sans could relate all too well to that- fighting against the Galactic Federation. To put it bluntly, Summer was pissed. As far as she was concerned, her little brother had put himself in a lot of unnecessary danger.
Hell, he understood. After all, if Papyr-
And there was the root of the problem.
He was happy for Summer, he really was. Which, actually, was disconcerting; a few short months ago, he couldn't imagine feeling happy for any one else under any circumstances, if he could imagine being happy at all. Happy was weak, and pathetic, and would only get you killed in the Underground.
Here, the feeling seemed to be that life was short, so you may as well enjoy the hell out of it. And he found that was something he could get behind.
He fished out his phone. It still miraculously had signal, and so he often texted or called Frisk. They had said several times that he was welcome to come back and visit, but he didn't feel ready to face old demons there just yet.
He looked at Papyrus' number.
"Hey, Red, mind giving us a lift back to the ship?" Summer called, Morty following along behind.
He scowled. "i'm not your damn taxi service, sunshine." he grumbled, slipping the phone back into his pocket, but there was no real heat to the words.
"You keep telling yourself that, bonehead." she chuckled. Sans kept grumbling halfheartedly, even as he gathered the magic needed for the trip.
"S-so you're a s-skeleton?" The new kid, Morty, asked in amazement.
He chuckled darkly, eye sockets going black. "what are you trying to say there, pal?" He watched the kid's face go pale, before breaking out into a gale of laughter.
"relax, kiddo, i'm just messing with ya." He said, still chuckling. "sunshine vouched for you, so i'm guessing you're more than you look ta be, yeah?"
The kid gave him a hesitant grin. "N-not to mention I've g-got a freaking army to back me up, now."
Sans made a choking sound, suddenly eyeing Morty a lot more warily. "you've got an army?! the hell does that mean?"
The kid just smirked. Yep, he was Summer's relative alright. He wondered what Rick Sanchez was like to have grandkids like these.
"wait, wait, go back!" Sans exclaimed, looking at the television in glee. Summer had hooked it up to something that gave it every channel. Really, every single one. Needless to say, it was pretty fucking awesome.
Summer gave him a doubtful look. "Nothing good comes of watching alternate versions of yourself, Red."
He shook his head, grinning. "it's fine, it's just undernovela. sans' watch it all the time!"
She shot him another look, but shrugged and switched back.
"Is this...in Spanish?" She asked.
"yup. oh! that's asgorio; he's in charge of the biggest gang. and that's sin! he's a sans, and..."
Summer watched in bemusement as Sans excitedly explained a complex plot involving illicit affairs, gang wars, a Papyrus that apparently worked for everyone somehow and strange, convoluted back stories.
"And that's what's happening here?" She asked.
He hesitated and shrugged. "um, maybe. i don't speak spanish, so i just pieced it together."
She looked even more confused, and a touch exasperated, but eventually shrugged and made a 'go on' motion.
He grinned. "so, this hitman, el flower, ends up being..."
He looked at the phone and sighed.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Summer asked with concern, looking up form the schematics she was studying.
He shrugged half heartedly. "like frisk said, i've gotta get over it at some point."
She frowned at how listless he seemed to be. He didn't talk about his past much, but from listening to what he didn't say, the aftermath of a fair few nightmares and some drinking nights turned sour, she had gathered that he had been abused by his brother.
Well, he wasn't going to face his past alone.
"So," she said. "Are we leaving now?"
He looked up, startled. "we?"
She gave him a half exasperated, half fond look. "Yes, we. We're partners, right? And we haven't got anything planned; Morty's off dealing with Rick Council negotiations, and we can't follow up any leads for at least a few days."
"y-yeah," he said, and no, he was absolutely not choked up. At all.
They were standing outside Papyrus' house.
Summer had been enchanted by Frisk, and didn't bother hiding how sweet she found their interactions with Sans. They were adorable, and Sans had acted like such a softie around them. Plus, the pictures of Sans asleep with Frisk and their pet dogs curled up on top of him were great blackmail material.
She mentally shook herself, coming back to the present. This was why they were here, after all; Sans, despite everything, wanted to see his brother. She had soon realised that Papyrus had been one of the few people he genuinely cared about.
"Do you want me to be here?" She asked, relaxing at his tense nod. In a quick, jerky movement, he reached over and rapped on the door.
"WHAT?" A harsh voice called, before throwing open the door.
Papyrus was far taller than Red, all sharp angles and scowls. Summer had many scars of her own, but the one across the skeleton's eye made her wince.
"I- SANS?" He asked, and for a moment, Red's expression showed the hope she felt. The feeling was ruined when the monster's features clouded over with anger.
"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!" He snarled. "I WASTED VALUABLE TIME LOOKING FOR YOUR MISERABLE SELF, BEFORE GIVING IT UP AS A LOST CAUSE! DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN COME CRAWLING BACK NOW? YOU-"
To Summer's horror, the larger skeleton went to hit Red. Usually, it would be no big issue; Sans could dodge the blow easily, and have a dozen bones ready in the time it took to do so. But Sans wasn't doing anything to protect himself, just waiting for the blow to land.
Enough was enough.
"Don't you dare touch my partner!" Summer snarled, catching Papyrus' wrist. He gave her a shocked look.
"A HUMAN?" He exclaimed, and only then did she remember Sans telling her what they did to humans down here. She wasn't about to let that stop her, though.
"That's right, a human," she half-yelled. "And I probably have all of you beat LV wise."
"HA! I HIGHLY DOUBT THAT, HUMA-" Papyrus stopped, staring at her weirdly unformed soul. "THATS...ODD."
Sans eyed her stats, lingering on the 26 LV.
"YOU...THIS IS A TRICK!" Papyrus yelled. "THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE IN ALL THE UNDERGROUND FOR SUCH HIGH LV!"
"I'm not from the underground, you arrogant a-hole! Plenty of opportunities for violence where I come from." Summer shouted back.
She dodged a volley of bones shot her way, and Sans took a step forwards.
"w-wait a sec-" he started, then groaned. He was now part of the battle. Fan-fucking-tastic.
Papyrus sneered, looked back to the screen, and froze.
"WHAT."
'Oh right' Sans thought. 'My LV's kinda high now."
"L-YOU HAVE LV 14?!" Papyrus said.
"yeah," he said quietly. Gromflomites were a pain in the ass.
Sans reached for the fight button, but hesitated. For some reason, he kept thinking back to when he entered a fight with a large, spiked alien, several weeks ago. He had been about to attack when Summer walked up, held out a hand and talked it down. Also, seeing his brother on the other side of a fight screen didn't sit well with him. Violence was a constant, yes, but...in Summer's world, it was also a choice.
He hit spare.
Summer shot him a look, but hesitantly did the same, sending a glare at Papyrus after doing so.
Papyrus looked shocked for all of a second, then sneered. "IT DOESN'T MATTER; YOUR STILL WEAK, SANS. YOU WON'T EVEN ATTEMPT TO FIGHT BACK, YOU-"
Again, Summer cut him off. "Stop it! Why the hell do you think you can talk to him like that?"
"LISTEN, HUMAN, DOWN HERE ITS KILL OR BE KILLED. WEAKNESS ONLY LEADS TO DEATH. I CAN'T AFFORD TO- THAT IS- AGH! YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!"
"Well, where I'm from, life's short so don't think about it, and enjoy it while you can." Summer said with a shrug.
He looked confused, almost desperate for a moment. Then his eyes flickered to Sans. Summer couldn't tell what she saw in his expression; hope? Regret?
Whatever it was soon vanished. "GET OUT AND DON'T COME BACK, SANS. THIS IS THE ONLY WARNING YOU WILL GET."
For a moment, Sans looked like he wanted to argue, but only sighed and gave a sharp nod. Summer opened her mouth to protest, but Sans had already taken her by the arm and teleported them back to the ship.
"it's not fair, you know," Sans muttered that night into his pint. "i've seen the others, and they're all so fucking happy!"
She eyed him with concern; maybe she should have stopped him from going straight for the alcohol. However, she knew he'd be unlikely to talk about anything without simething to blame it on.
"you said rick had goggles and shit, right? let you see other versions of yourself?" He asked looking up.
She nodded, realising where this was going.
"'m a sans," he continued. "we tend to see shit like that a lot; heck, a lot of us are in contact with other versions. and, and we have papyrus." He let out something suspiciously like a sob. "and so many of them, papyrus is so goddamn good, and kind. even the versions closest to me! and it's like, like I fucked up somehow, to make him l-look at me like that." He decided not to mention that some universes he had seen were far, far worse. He preferred not to think about those ones.
Summer sighed, walked over to the skeleton and enfolded him in a hug. "Don't be dumb; my grandpa Rick always warned us that comparing your life to what it could be never does any good. It sucks that your life was crappy compared to theirs, but you're here now, so...don't think about it, yeah?"
Sans gave a tired shrug. He had realised fairly quickly that the phrase 'don't think about it' was just something the Smith siblings said about difficult situations, a sort of reassurance that it was okay to just live and be.
"thanks, sunshine." he murmured.
They were in a dingy pub, each with a pint in their hand and halfway to tipsy. They were playing a game of naming the weirdest or most impressive crimes they could recall other patrons committing according to their profiles. Always good to keep note of potential allies and recruits.
Summer stopped mid-sentence when she heard the conversation of the table next to them. At a questioning look from Sans, she inclined her head to the four scarred men talking in hushed voices.
"-heard she took out fifty of the Fed's goons single handily." One muttered. "The Inferno, they called her."
One of his companions nodded. "I heard she tamed a red demon Rick Sanchez resurrected. It decimated the last lot that came after her; tore them limb from limb."
Summer sniggered at Sans' expression. "what am I, a pet?"
"Well, from what I know, her name is Summer Sanchez." The third man said with obvious relish. "As in, related to Rick Sanchez himself."
Sniggering, Summer leant in. "Wanna give them a show, Red Demon?" she whispered. Sans nodded, grinning sharply.
She leaned over to them. "You guys talking about Summer Sanchez?"
They glanced at one another. "It isn't talk for a lady to hear." one said. Summer twitched at the patronising tone.
"Isn't she just a lady herself?" She asked innocently. "Wouldn't look much different to me."
Three of the four men glanced behind them. All three went white.
"No lady could kill all those people, or control a demon." The fourth continued, shaking his head. "Like I said, it isn't talk for...for a..."
He turned around in confusion, coming face-to-face with Sans.
"For who?" Sans rumbled, grinning.
Summer started tapping her fingers on her gun. "Like I said, I look a lot like any other lady."
Summer couldn't help but laugh once they had fled, leaving hurried apologies in their wake. There was something intoxicating about having that sort of reputation, the type that made grown men run.
"well, i think we made an impression on them." Sans chuckled, coming to stand behind her shoulder.
She smirked. "Yup."
They were scouting out a new nightclub a target had been frequenting recently. He was some sort of general, high up in the Federation, high enough to have a good load of information if they could get their hands on him. Morty's dream device would do the rest.
Both had found ages ago that they loved the atmosphere in nightclubs, brimming with energy and everyone living for the moment. Both of them had started their share of fist fights, though only Sans would admit to it without shame. Summer had the bizarre idea that it was somehow wrong.
Wearing a jagged grin, Sans looked over to Summer. "hey sunshine, wanna dance?"
"Hell yeah!" She laughed, striding towards the middle of the club.
To the onlookers, they were completely absorbed in the music, hidden amongst writhing alien bodies. The music should have been too loud to hear anything, pulses jumping with the beat.
They still saw the transaction take place, and through subtly hidden bugs heard the conversation at the small table across the darkened room.
Sans lent in with a smug grin. "got 'em, sunshine."
She gave a casual nod, sliding her earpiece into her pocket. "Time to have a chat with our valued customers."
"I don't need protecting, Sans!" Summer snapped. One of the people on the ground groaned, and she gave him a swift kick.
Sans gave a derisive snort. "the guy was aiming for you; what, you wanted me to stand by and let him cave your skull in?"
"I expect you to have a little faith! I can handle myself fine without you!"
Summer missed the small flinch that Sans gave. "why do you keep me around then, sweetheart?"
Usually, Summer would realise what he was really saying, but in this instant she was frustrated. She was a goddamn mercenary! Her name was feared throughout the federation, spoken with awe in every disreputable bar; Summer Sanchez, descendent of Rick Sanchez, Inferno of the Rebellion. She didn't need to be protected.
So instead, she snarled "Sometimes I wonder the same thing!"
Words intended to hurt, to cut deep. This time, she didn't miss the flinch Sans gave.
"...I can't handle this again." He muttered.
She snapped out of her rage, realising what she had said. "Red, wait-"
A wall of bones appeared just as she stepped forward, blocking her way.
Sans stuffed his hands in his pockets, Summer's words overlapping with his brother's. It wasn't long after he started talking like that-
No. Not again; this time he would get out.
He did not think about the fact that she had never raised a hand against him, that she had stood up for him against Papyrus, or had resolutely denied every claim he made at being useless, or worthless, or anything else he was in the Underground.
Okay, maybe he had been overprotective of her recently, but since leaving the Underground, she was one of the few constants in his life. Papyrus was better off without him, and Frisk had their own family.
He was going to leave, get transport away, but was stopped by a Morty standing in the way. No, not a Morty, Summer's Morty.
"what, kid?" He snarled, not in the mood to deal with the young rebel leader.
"W-what's going on, Sans?" Morty asked, frowning. "Is Summer o-okay?"
"peachy." Sans growled.
Morty wasn't always a bright kid, but he and Sans had gotten to know each other quite well after the last couple of months.
"You two h-have an argument?"
"none of your business."
A pause.
"If you h-hurt her-" Morty started.
"she doesn't fucking need me!" Sans exploded. Morty blinked.
"Geez, Sans, y-you can't say that. Y-you've saved her neck a bunch of times, and mine. Rick-" he stopped and looked down.
Sans gave a weak chuckle. "go on, kid, what would the famous sanchez say?"
"That you're a fucking idiot, t-that we're all equal piles of shit, then d-drag us through a portal on some wacky adventure." Morty said with a wobbly smile. "He made a whole p-presentation once on how equally shit Summer and I were. A-always valued everyone else a lot lower, though. Took me a while to realise that."
"sounds like an interesting guy." Sans said, starting to grin.
"T-the point is, you're important, to b-both of us." Morty said, giving Sans a shy smile. "Summer would be pretty b-broken up if you left."
Maybe he had overreacted a little. Maybe this time would be different.
He sighed. "okay, kid, i'll stick around."
Morty's grin was bright enough to convince him that maybe staying was the best choice.
"I'm sorry!" Summer blurted out as soon as he walked into their room. "I do need you around, I was just being a jerk about it!"
"i know, sunshine." Sans said with a sigh. "your little bro talked me round; he's one hell of a negotiator."
"Heh, yeah, all those lessons must be finally paying off." Summer chuckled, wiping at her damp eyes and sinking down to sit on the bed.
Sans sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around her. "just got spooked. he talked like that, before." He admitted awkwardly.
Summer sat up straighter and looked him in the eyes. "I do need you, and I'll shout it from the rooftops if you want, to hell with dignity."
That...actually made him feel a lot better. It was exactly the kind of thing his brother would never even consider.
"cheers, sunshine," he said with a grin. He knew she would go through with her offer without hesitation, and for once, he was not at all tempted to abuse the offer, as amusing as it would be.
"i know you would," he said. "that's what makes it difficult, that you're not gonna up and vanish. i- i'm not really used to that."
"So you're not gonna leave?" Summer asked, a teasing note back in her voice.
Sans chuckled. "and miss the entertainment you and your brother provide? no way is that happening."
Sans liked Morty. He was a great kid, and a better person than most despite his high LV.
So when he came across him cornered in an alleyway by some low level Federation fanatics, outnumbered and with his weapon confiscated, he wasn't happy.
"you're going to want to leave the boy alone," he snarled, a summoned bone in his hand.
One of the men scoffed arrogantly. "What's some fucked up experiment going to do? Scram, none of your buisness what we do."
Sans grinned. "unfortunately for you dipshits, i'm kind of attached to the kid. so, back off," He made a sweeping gesture, two Gaster blasters appearing behind him. "or I'm gonna hav e."
The gang of aliens went pale and as one turned and ran.
Sans cackled, winking at Morty as he gave a sigh of relief. "Th-thanks, Sans, you r-really saved my neck there. I-I thought they were really, really gonna kill me this time."
"no worries, kid." Sans drawled smugly. "i'm always happy to show a few punks a thing or two."
Morty chuckled weakly. "Heh, yeah..."
Internally, Sans winced. He still wasn't used to talking about feelings, but it looked like something was troubling Morty. "what's up, kid? you're looking down in the dumps." He kicked one of the dumpsters in the alley for emphasis, earning a brief grin from Morty at the pun.
"It's just, if I c-can't even f-fight off a b-bunch of idiots like them, w-well how the hell am I meant to lead in a-an army?" He asked dejectedly.
Sans grinned. "you've been doing damn well so far," he said. "that army of yours has gotten the federation acting terrified. plus, five against one isn't good odds for anyone."
Seeing that Morty was still snuffling dejectedly, Sans sighed. "Tell you what; prove you can keep up, and I'll get you some proper lessons on fighting. deal?"
Morty stared for a moment, then grinned widely. "D-deal."
Sans had found he had a knack for hacking. After basically hacking the universe and the void itself to use his shortcuts, doing as most Sans' could and solving the equations instantly, breaking into Federation files was not much of a challenge.
It turned out to be a valuable skill. He mused to himself that it was damn nice to be able to do stuff like that out in the open. What's more, he got respect for doing it.
They were resting after a particularly difficult mission, Summer recovering from a slight concussion. Sans was hacking a few files when he came across one that looked particularly promising.
"what's this, then?" He muttered, typing in strings of code. After a few minutes, he opened the file-
"what the fuck, sanchez?!"
He stared a bit longer, then started laughing a touch hysterically.
Summer ran in. "Red? What's going on?"
Unable to speak, he gestured to the laptop. She walked up behind him and rested her chin on his shoulder, skimming through the document.
"No. No way."
"y-yeah!" He chortled. "all this time and the crazy son of a bitch broke himself out!"
Warning: criminal Rick Sanchez escaped custody. Wanted alive. Armed and very dangerous.
Summer stared for a moment. "...We've got to find him."
They had split up, spreading out across the area Rick's message said he would be.
Sans stopped for a moment at the sight of the lanky figure leaning against a tree, a bottle in his hand. "fuck, you look like shit." He said to the stranger.
Rick turned to face him. "W-what's it to y-ugh-ou, asswipe?"
"you were the one who sent the damn message, sanchez." Sans grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. "your grandchildren are looking all over for ya."
Rick relaxed. "L-lemme finish m-ugh-y drink first, dawg." He muttered, taking a gulp. "What are, are you? Not any species I've s-seen, an-and I've been around."
"rumour has it you resurrected me." He said, smirking. "but, nah, came here from dimension KS-275. came for the freedom, stayed for the alcohol."
At this, Rick cracked a grin and offered Sans the bottle. He shrugged and took a pull of the liquor, then handed it back.
"That dimension's shit." Rick said after a moment's thought. "No one knows how t-to party."
"tell me about it." Sans grunted. "crack a joke, and you've got a dozen monsters at your throat."
Rick chuckled, then stumbled and partially collapsed against the tree.
"h-hey, what-" Sans stopped. That...red stuff was supposed to stay inside human's bodies, right? "why the fuck didn't you say anything?!"
Rick glared at him. "One, I didn't k-know if you were so-ugh-me Federation bastard. Two, medical quacks would just take away the booze. Ya dig?"
Sans snarled. "you fucking idiot! summer and morty will have my head if i let you bleed out here!"
Rick shrugged. "I could have just blown your fucking head off myself and enjoyed the rest of my drink in peace."
Sans gulped and nodded. "s-so, uh, shall we head back?" He asked, slightly desperately. He had forgotten for a moment that this was the universe's most wanted criminal.
Rick shrugged. "S-sure."
Sans gripped his arm before he could protest, and shortcutted them back to base camp.
Usually, he would teleport people and they would be dumbfounded, lost for words, shocked, amazed.
Rick raised an eyebrow and started strolling away. "So, wh-ugh-ere are they?"
Sans watched as he ignored the panicking medics, pulling equipment out himself.
"i called them not long ago; they should be here soon." He replied.
Moments later, Morty and Summer burst in, further scaring the nurses. "Grandpa Rick!"
Sans grabbed the flustered medical personnel and dragged them out. He doubted any of the three Sanchez's wanted to be seen showing actual emotions, after all.
Later, both Morty and Summer had fallen asleep in the private lounge, exhausted by the reunion. Sans walked in and plopped himself onto a chair near Rick, offering one of the two bottles of alcohol to the older man. "for earlier."
Rick grinned, taking the bottle. "Juuust what the doctor ordered."
"really?" Sans asked, eyebrow ridge raised.
"Pfft, I know more about medicine than those idiots anyway." He replied, waving a dismissive hand. Sans chucked quietly.
There were a few minutes comfortable silence. "so, why'd ya wait until now to bust out of there?" Sans asked.
"In there, information is valuable." Rick said, looking down at the bottle. "It's, it's not easy to get it, either. But someone owed me a favour, and told me these two were leading a damned rebellion."
Sans nodded, taking another pull of his drink. He got it; Rick had been in there to keep them safe. Sans sure as hell wasn't going to say that out loud though; he knew Rick certainly wouldn't appreciate it.
Both stayed by the fire, while Morty and Summer sleeping peacefully.